Just a quick post today. It's been quite a week full of travel and busyness, so I've slacked off here rather terribly. My apologies! In penance, here is one of my favorite cocktail recipes I've put together this past year. This is one of the cocktail trifecta I created for Aaron's birthday party back in January (all the details on that over at this post!) I had wanted to try infusing bourbon for awhile and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Pair that up with one of th

One of our favorite restaurants is a fancy taco joint about a mile from our apartment. We've been going there for years - in fact we went to A Toda Madre for dinner the night Aaron proposed. This may have been strategic because I defy you to be anything but amenable after feasting on a platter of these pork belly tacos... In addition to serving the Tacos of Heaven, they also serve my favorite fruit-based cocktail in existence: the El Pastor. (It's the thing of beauty I'm drin

So... it's Lent, guys. And (fun fact for those who didn't already know) Aaron is a priest. So I couldn't help it - I had to at least have a bit of a shout out to that niche demographic of you all who are currently doing without something or other for the next month and a half-ish. Since ye olde alcohols seem to be a common do-without during such times, Tipsy Tuesday is getting the axe until April 1 and will be replaced by its more Lenten (and less boisterous) sidekick, Sober

Happy Tipsy Tuesday! And a happy Galentines Day too, to all you Leslies and Anns out there. We know who we are. As promised in an earlier post (I know, it took me a lot longer than I said it would), this week's Tipsy Tuesday is the first of three original cocktails I invented for Aaron's birthday party last month. This was my favorite of the trifecta, both because I am a grapefruit fiend and because its name is taken from my favorite childhood actor. Yes, we can all take a mo

So this is a nostalgic one, guys. Today is our anniversary and I've had a severe case of the Wedding Nostalgias all month. I know at the time I was stressed out like crazy with all the details of coordinating what went where and when, and whether my embarrassingly detailed "Setup Manifesto" was sufficient to communicate all of this. We were on a pretty tight budget and handcrafted the majority of our reception setup to cut down on costs. But looking back from the safe distanc

I realize this isn't a Tuesday, but needs must. New Years Eve's a'comin and I have a cocktail that has to head your way before that bell tolls. So... We Wish You a Tipsy Friday and a Happy New Year! It's New Years, so of course this one will include a bit of bubbly. I know Champagne is the reigning monarch of such things, but I'll admit my partiality leans Prosecco-ward. So that's what I've used for this, though you are more than welcome to substitute the bubbly of your choic

Guess what time it is? For this month's Tipsy Tuesday, we're going with a winter must-have. Aaron and I have both had a fond place for mulled wine ever since we went to the Chicago Christkindlmarket when we were first dating. I'd been multiple times before that in the years I've lived here, but this is the occasion I remember with the most fondness. It was freezing that night - a classic Chicago 4 degrees, not counting wind chill - and the gluhwein in small, ceramic boots was

Welcome to the inaugural Tipsy Tuesday here at the Mess! I went back and forth for awhile on what a good starting cocktail would be, but honestly I was overthinking the whole thing and worrying a bit too much about "the perfect first cocktail." So I figured I would shelve the idea for the present and come back to it after the new year. And wouldn't you know, that's when the muse struck. I knew all along that I wanted it to involve Fernet-Branca. Fernet (pronounced "net" rathe